I would first like to say “Thank you” to all of you who were so kind to us during the past 6 weeks, showing up for the viewing and the funeral, and sending your love and support. It was a great comfort to us. In all the times that dad went in and out of the hospital, I never imagined what this letter would be like. Its been a little harder to get started than I would have thought. As you can imagine it has been a very challenging time for mom. Please keep her in your prayers. Her and dad were married for 57 years. I know her parents couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams that dad would turn into an evangelist. He was a piece of work when the two of them first married. I think the only thing in this world that was bigger than dad’s ego was Jesus. There wasn’t anything that he couldn’t fix himself, except his need for a Savior. We are so grateful for a God who’s bigger than our messes, bigger than egos, bigger than our plans, and Who pursues us even when we aren’t looking for Him. He is a revolutionary life changer. If you watch television for any amount of time, you will see something brand new that’s guaranteed to change your life. All we need is Jesus. Its what He came for. In John 6:51, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Hallelujah for the Bread of Life! Because of Jesus, we have this hope.

I started off the January 2018 newsletter with Psalm 136:1-4, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever.” My opinion has not changed, He is a good God and His mercy endures forever. In February I put this scripture in the newsletter; 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” How great is it that He uses us in spite of ourselves! He put “this treasure”, His treasure, His Spirit, His mercy, His grace, His compassion, in these “earthen vessels”. It doesn’t matter what shape you are, the more room you make inside of yourself, the more of Himself He will pour in there. He has shone His light into our hearts, that His light can shine out of darkness. Not because we’re so smart, or talented, or capable, but so “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” We can only love through Him, because of His great love that He has towards those whom He longs to draw to Himself. We may look like ordinary people, but when you’re filled with an extraordinary God you become a treasure of incredible value.

In John after Jesus had fed the 5,000 with the 5 loaves, the next day the people who’d eaten went seeking Him. They actually asked Him in 6:28 what sign would He perform so they could believe in Him, and even quoted scripture to Him about their fathers eating manna in the desert, “bread from heaven”. The other day I realized how ironic their statement was. The day before they had just eaten bread from heaven and didn’t realize it! And even when their “fathers” ate manna, if they really knew scripture they’d of remembered, that their fathers called it “worthless bread”, Numbers 21:5. Jesus is so gracious. He could of told them how dense they were, He could have insulted their intelligence. He could of called them a bunch of ungrateful loafers (why weren’t they at work anyway?). But instead He told them again that He was sent down as the bread of life and how they can find fulfillment through Him, that anyone who comes to Him will not be cast out, and He was here not to do His will but the will of the One who sent Him, that none should be lost and that all may have everlasting life. (John 6:32-40)

Jesus taught by example. When questioned we don’t have to try and prove our opinion or our own self righteousness but keep the goal in mind. Since God has entrusted this treasure to us, it’s more important that we do the will of Him who has sent us. Through these past 10 years, in doing prison ministry with dad, I seen him live that out. There were trying situations with officers and volunteers when dad could have blown his lid and his witness but I seen him humble himself because he had his eye on the prize. It was more important to him that the light shine into the darkness. There is nothing I want more than to continue to carry that out.

We had a board meeting of the ministry this past week. I now carry the title of president which I’m very humbled by. I believe in ministry that a man is supposed to be over woman, so it feels a little uncomfortable. I am trusting this is where God wants me and am definitely submitted to Him. I also am blessed to have two senior board members, Jim Hines and Monty Sheets, to whom I can turn to for guidance. Mom will continue to be treasurer, secretary and Chief Prayer Warrior. Her value in this ministry is beyond measure.

At the end of this past January when I came back from Alabama, I told mom how it was on my heart to teach inmates how to read the Bible. You think if someone can read, they can certainly read the Bible. For those who’ve never had it in their homes or even been to Sunday School, its intimidating. A lot of the inmates we encounter don’t even know the basic Bible stories like Jonah and the whale, Noah and the ark, or even the story of the Ten Commandments. So we began praying for God to give us Bibles and 3 weeks later, 1,000 Bibles were donated to us! They say they have 1,000 more if we need them but for right now the first 1,000 are sitting in the gym of my church. I’d also like to get comic book Bibles to take along with the regular Bibles, so if they have trouble at first the pictures will help them, or for the ones who don’t need the comic book Bibles, it’s something they can send home to their children. Two weeks ago, I took these Bibles to the Women’s Work Release here in Fort Wayne and we had a great time looking at scriptures together, explaining the gospels and Paul’s travels through Acts. By the time you receive this letter we will have done this also at the Blackford County Jail, March 30th & 31st.

Are you wondering what we’ve been doing in prisons all these years if not teaching the Bible? Dad’s seminar was a pre-release seminar where he gave them biblical principals for how to make it when they were released from prison, as well as first-hand testimonies of people who’d been in prison and have succeeded with the help of Jesus. He also never ended without an altar call. When dad first started doing prison ministry, the prisons didn’t offer any classes on how they’d merge back into society. Over the years, the prisons have picked up on this and now they have there own pre-release training that inmates are required to take. Also years ago, most people had some basic knowledge of the Bible either through Sunday School or a praying grandma. These past few years, its became more evident, especially since prayer was removed from the schools, that many children never even have an introduction to the Bible. So you may be giving a message and refer to one of the biblical stories, thinking they’ll know what you’re talking about, and all you get back is a blank stare, because they have no idea who Lazarus, or Mary, or John is.

Last week one morning while I was praying, my apartment filled up with the smell of freshly baking bread. It was 5:30 am, and my neighbor definitely wasn’t baking, so it was undoubtedly the Presence of our Savior. He is a sweet smelling aroma, our comfort, the Only One who satisfies, who nourishes us and encompasses us. May His fragrance fill you and surround you as His mercy washes over you.

Blessed be the Name of our Lord, the God of all mercy and compassion. The One who upholds and strengthens us, carries us when we’re weak, rejoices with us when we’re strong, fills our cup to overflowing and fills our hearts with laughter, puts a spring in our step, sets our feet upon solid ground, blesses us going in and coming out, goes before us to defeat the enemy and delights in watching us pick up the spoil! Blessed be the Name of the Lord! How great is our God! How wonderful His mercies! “Give unto the Lord the glory due His Name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness,” Psalm 29:2 (NKJV) His holiness is beautiful. It’s in His holiness that we have this hope, this treasure in earthen vessels.

Last week I was with the We Care prison ministry in Alabama for the annual Renew Hope prison invasion where more than 350 volunteers were divided up into 26-28 facilities (can’t remember the exact number) to share the gospel for four days. I was in a group of 6 women who were sent to a small women’s prison for 9 hours a day from Monday to Thursday. We sat in their “dayroom” which is their TV room, hair styling room, microwave-using room, letter writing, and gossiping room, with the bunks all around us. It was pretty much like a one-story concrete warehouse only it had 150 bunk beds in it that held 300 women. Just row after row of beds, no personal space, no lockers. All their worldly possessions hung off their beds in 2 laundry bags and a metal drawer on the underside of the metal bunk. One women I spoke with will have been there 18 years this month. Another got there when she was 19 and is now 36, another 11 years, another 6 years. In this one room. Where time stands still. There isn’t a school or a recreation building, so there are few jobs there. Most of them don’t work. It was heartbreaking. They just sit there, or go out to the yard, which is just as bleak; a bare yard surrounded by a fence. This is not what God intended. The chaplain is part-time so she only goes there two days a week. There are few paid state chaplains in Alabama so most of the chaplains are volunteers and have to raise their own support. But we have this hope in earthen vessels. The inmates have it too. So our job is, according to 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” Our job is to help them brush aside the dirt “not imputing their trespasses to them” and realize the treasure that is inside them. There is no other bright light inside that place. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

Several women complained to me about the amount of drugs in there. A handful of the women are classified as “community custody level”. That means they can actually leave there during the day and go to work in the city at Wendy’s or a factory. For that, they get to wear civilian clothes, so no one in the community realizes that person is actually a prisoner of the state. The downside is that drugs are big money in prison, so the women have people bring drugs to them at their jobs, which they then sneak back in with them. Not just the inmates do that – an officer got fired from their last month for doing the same thing. Drugs are rampant in the prisons. And why not. The enemy comes to “steal, kill and destroy”. What a better way to finish them off. If you look with your human eyes, the atmosphere is heavy, overwhelming, even hopeless. But when you look with your spiritual eyes, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power…” Ephesians 1:18-19. We have this hope!

You have to believe that the One “who commanded light to shine out of darkness”, can speak light into their darkness, that His plan is to give them a “future and a hope”, that they can have the “riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”, that they also “have this treasure in earthen vessels”, that “greater is He” in them, “than he who is in the world”. You have to believe His Word! You have to love His Word, and you have to love the One who wrote it, if you’re ever going to look at a person in a hopeless situation and convey to them the “exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe”. Because He can mountains! There is no power of the enemy that is greater than He is! We have this hope “which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the His right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” Ephesians 1:20-21

While praying early one morning, I think it was the 2nd day, I thought of 2 Kings 19:35, “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty five thousand; and in the morning, there were the corpses – all dead.” Isn’t that something that King Hezekiah, who had been so worried about the overwhelming size of his enemy, while he slept, the Lord sent an angel to slay the entire army. But also King Hezekiah humbled himself and cried out to the Lord. It’s okay to admit you feel powerless over a situation, cry out to the God who is all powerful and totally capable of delivering you. In 2 Chronicles 20 when king Jehoshaphat had a huge army come against him, he sent the worshippers out first. The enemy got so confused they turned and killed each other. It took the king and his people 3 days to carry back all the spoil from the enemy’s tents. As I thought about these scriptures, joy rose up in my spirit. Without a shadow of a doubt I knew God was at work while we were sleeping and all we had to do was go in with a heart of praise & worship and collect the spoil the enemy abandoned and return those treasures in earthen vessels, back to their proper owner, the King of Kings. So while the outward situation looked bleak, my heart was rejoicing, the battle isn’t ours, but the Lords! It’s His desire to bring them back into right relationship with Him. “Now we have this confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him.” (I John 5:14) When you’re praying about witnessing, or praying for someone’s salvation, have this confidence. It doesn’t matter what the situation looks like, is it God’s will that they be saved? Is it God’s will that you share this gift of reconciliation? Of course! Therefore you will have what you ask for! Is His Word true? Need I even say it! Our enemy in these situations is hopelessness, despair, addiction, unforgiveness, depression, demonic oppression. None of these can stand against the living God. They are invaders just as real as the armies that surrounded the kings in the Old Testament. But our God is the same God who defeated the enemies of those who diligently sought Him, who will never leave nor forsake you, whose perfect love will cast out fear, who has defeated death and the grave, who says “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.” Romans 8:37

One of the men speakers shared this true story. He’s a pastor and this was a family he ended up being involved with. There was a young woman who was a Christian but married a man who was not. He was abusive, didn’t work, left for weeks and months at a time, and when he did return it was only to wreck havoc on their lives with more abuse. They had 3 children. She was going to church, working, struggling, as basically a single mom, and in the midst of all this, praying for her husband to be saved. One day she was lying in the bed with 2 of their children, when he showed up and shot her in front of them. She died immediately. Does God answer prayer? The father was given a life sentence, all 3 children grew up and became drug addicts. The situation seemed hopeless for all involved. Even though in prison, the dad remained hard as ever, the children lost in lives of despair. Then one of the sons ended up giving his life to the Lord. Is any situation ever too dark for God? This brother led the other brother to Christ, and eventually the two of them brought the sister in, who also surrendered. Meanwhile years have passed and the father is dying in prison, I can’t remember if it was some type of cancer or what, but he was given only a limited amount of time left. The children wrote the parole board and explained that they forgave their father and would the state please release their father to them so they could care for him until his death. The father was still not a Christian. The parole board granted their request. And these 3, because of their willingness to forgive were able to lead their father to Christ before his death a few months later while he was in their care. The pastor who shared this story with us said he actually was asked to preach this man’s funeral, and the letter the children wrote to the parole board was shared at the funeral. God answered that woman’s prayer. We have this hope. In earthen vessels.

I know I’ve been a little repetitive but I want you to get it – “we have this hope” and He has given us this “treasure in earthen vessels”. You may not realize how valuable you are. You have a treasure inside of you that cannot be bought, whose value cannot be compared or equated to anything we know on earth, what’s inside of you is priceless. You may not know what you can share with others around you, share with them the love of Christ, share “what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” It’s worth giving away. We had many great moments of praying with the women, watching God exchange His peace for their pain, there’s nothing else I want to do with my life. Thank you for all your contributions. Thank you for being the “senders”. I love being sent! I’m so very grateful for your faithfulness to give to this ministry.

Dad has had a rough month. He was in ICU for awhile. A few days into it, after he was finally coming around and able to communicate, he looked at me and said, “I can’t believe I’m still alive.” I said “Me either!” It was the grace of God. Believe with me for God’s power to fall upon his home and as the glory of the Living God descends, every plan of the enemy to rob my parents of their health, peace, and joy will be sent as far as the east is from the west and a wellspring of living water will burst forth in the middle of their living room that will refresh, restore and renew them. Their praise will be, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You forever.” Psalm 30:11-12 We will be continue this with a praise report! For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

Happy New Year! “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-4 Aren’t the heavens beautiful?! Are the sunsets getting more astonishing? His designs are ever changing, breathtaking. And that’s the free shot He gives to all, saints and sinners alike. A small glimpse into what the glory of His heaven must look like.

All last night I was uncomfortably cold. At 1:30 a.m. I finally got up and raised the thermostat to 71, yet even then could not get warm. Before 7 am my dog needed to go out. It was below zero & the urge to ignore her pleading eyes was almost greater than I could stand, but mercy won and out we went. Coming back in, this heat wave met me at the door. It was hard to believe it was the same apartment I’d been freezing in all night. When you go from -0 to 71 in one second, the contrast is extreme. During the evening yesterday, through the night, and even waking up, I was dealing with a frustrating situation that was stealing my joy. I kept releasing it and taking it back. In reality it wasn’t even big enough to be affecting me that way. We get so used to the temperature of walking in the goodness of God that we sometimes don’t realize how blessed we still are. His Glory is still present. We are still in the midst of His brilliance. His mercy endures forever. Yet we think our life has gotten colder and darker, but the truth is His light has not left us. His temperature in our life is still the same. If you need a contrast to compare it too, simply walk away into below zero darkness and come back, His magnificence will overwhelm you. I began questioning myself on what has this situation actually taken from me? Nothing. I still have a Savior who is interceding for me at the right hand of the Father. Will He allow this to overtake me? Absolutely not! It’s much warmer in this situation than I thought, because He has not changed. Hallelujah! I must confess that I have become a spoiled entitled brat when it comes to this blessed life of mine. The minute the winds whip up, I’m taking my eyes off Jesus and sinking into the ocean. “Oh give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:26

In I Kings 8, Solomon dedicates the temple to the Lord, and says this wonderful prayer over the people, and he asks God over and over to “hear in heaven” when they pray, when they make supplication, when they need forgiveness from sins, or deliverance from an enemy, when the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, when there is famine, when there is pestilence, or sickness. He even prayed for the foreigners, that all people in the earth would know the name of God’s great Name. You can hear his heart and how much he loves and believes in God. In 8:11 it says “the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.” Can you imagine what that was like? The glory of the Lord descended and filled the place! It seems that a moment like that would stay with you forever. Solomon was so moved when he was praying that he went down on his knees before God while praying in front of all the people. How wonderful that must have been for the Israelites to see their earthly king bowing before their heavenly King. I Kings 8:54 “And so it was, when Solomon finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, that he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.” In chapter 9, the Lord appeared to Solomon and assured him that He heard his prayer! Personally! Who could ever forget that! Yet as time went on, Solomon was so accustomed to the temperature of his relationship with God, that he no longer even felt it. In chapter 11, we read of his heart going “after gods and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God.”(vs 4). It was very sad to read about the temple being stripped of all the gold that had been laid there, and the treasures being carried away by the enemy. None of the material things meant anything to God, it was for the people, to give them an idea of the greatness of God, something they could lay their eyes on to know that God’s glory was even greater than that. We need visual aids. Which is why Proverbs 11:20-22 tells us “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings, Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart, for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” This is how you will keep the enemy from stripping away the golden moments you’ve had with the Lord and carrying away all the treasures from your heart. Hearing the Word on radio, on television, on your phone, and from a preacher is great, but you have to lay your own eyes on the Word. This sets it in your heart. Solomon’s eyes drifted to all sorts of things that he had no business looking at. He forgot the warmth of being in the glow of the Father. Its like when you have your window down at a drive-thru and you start focusing on how cold it is. Instead just reach up and put your hands on the vent. The heat is still there. Go to the source.

One of the wonderful things about God is that as you spend time in the Word and time in prayer, your experiences with Him will get greater. It’s only stagnate when you quit engaging Him.

Dad and mom had a great surprise for the homeless at the Christmas Eve service at the Rescue Mission, along with 7 dozen fresh donuts from the bakery, they gave out 60 gifts. If I’d known my parents were going to be so generous, I’d of been nicer to them this year. The guys,(and a few girls) were all very happy. It was only possible because of your generous support. We have no idea how many people we encounter during the course of a year in prisons and on the street with the homeless. This past year I know its literally been more than a few thousand. Thank you so much for your faithfulness. Before the Christmas Eve service started at the Rescue Mission, a man came up to me and said he’d heard dad and I speak at the Columbia City Jail five years ago when he’d been an inmate there, and how much he loved dad. The previous Sunday, another young man came up to me who said he’d heard me speak at the Work Release earlier this year, he even repeated my message to me about Balak and Balaam! A week ago Monday I was at an evening support meeting for people on the drug court program and a young lady came to me who said she’d been at the Allen County Jail when I spoke there and how much my testimony had touched her and the other ladies from her block. It’s such a blessing to run into these people and hear what the Word of God meant to them. On Christmas day I had the privilege of going in the Metro Youth Detention Center in Louisville, Ky. We did 8 services. It was a great way to spend Christmas! Last Saturday we took 100 sausage and egg sandwiches & bananas downtown. We’ll be doing the same thing this Saturday. Your ministry dollars are being put to good use as a great investment into the Kingdom! Again thank you so much.

May God’s loving kindness and mercy (which endures forever) be upon you, your family, and your household as His Hand guides you through this New Year.

I accidentally first put that as “Hello Saints?” and had to change it to an exclamation point but the truth is I have no idea how saintly you’ve been lately. Despite whatever degree of saintliness you’re living in, I’m going to keep speaking it in faith. Romans 4:16-17, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise sure to all seed, not only those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed – God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” So if you’ve been feeling like your faith has dried up like the fall leaves and has blown away in the wind, guess what, good news – He gives life to the dead! And He thinks you’re worth it! That’s why we enter into this season every year knowing its not about the tree or the gifts, or having the perfect dinner, it’s all about His Son and why He came.

During worship this past Sunday, my hands were folded in front of my chin, like in prayer. As I opened them and they slowly unfolded, it felt as if a beautiful rose was unfolding in them. I felt like the Lord gave it to me so I could offer it back to Him. I kept my eyes closed and my palms out as the fragrance of worship was offered up to heaven. God is awesome and amazing! He wants us to worship so He can release more of Himself into us. It’s an open gateway that allows the Spirit to move from Him to us and back to Him again doing a continuous loop. Engage in it. When you worship, picture that there’s no one else except you and Him. Allow yourself to be immersed in His complete love for you. He created you and He longs to hold you fondly near to Himself. Its why He sent Jesus, so there’d no longer be a gap between us and Him. No longer do we have to find a priest to intercede for us, Jesus is doing that, and He forever tore the curtain that separated us from the wonderful presence of God. We have this gift that is eternal, irrevocable, and utterly divine. Thank You Jesus for coming for us!

This past weekend, Mom, Dad and myself spent all day Saturday at the Blackford County Jail with 6 other volunteers. It was a great day. The male inmates were brought to us in the gym where we gave them donuts and coffee in the morning while they were ministered to in music, testimonies and dad’s teaching. In the afternoon we repeated the process with candy bars and sodas. We allowed each volunteer to have time to share and its always interesting to see how all our stories blend together into one program that glorifies the Living God. No matter if you’ve had a college education or not even graduated high school, if you lived a life of drugs and crime or been a homemaker, a business man, or a construction worker, we all have common ground that life is hard and God is good. The Bible applies to all of us. His Word is the way, the truth and the life for all of us. He

is the healer for all of us. He is our Father. We’re one family. One Royal Family, that needs to reach out to one another and help each other along the way when the path gets a little rough.

The next morning we were at the Rescue Mission where dad preached to the homeless. I prayed with a man who’s living in a tent but is trying to surrender his life to Jesus. He’s been swaying back and forth for a few years now. I seen him one time really on fire for the Lord and know that God is not finished with him yet. We look at these men and can see them as brothers in Christ. We know their bondage can be broken and what a vast difference God can make in their lives. Pray with us that their own eyes will be opened to a God who loves them and is calling for them to come out of the darkness into His marvelous light.

When we leave the mission, we go on to our own churches. From Saturday to Sunday we were with three completely different congregations; inmates, homeless and regular church people, yet all children of the same Father. Each group had a completely different type of clothing, different atmospheres, different circumstances that got them there, different challenges ahead, yet all were in need of a Savior. There is One answer. One God. One Hope. One Lord and King who came to save us all. If you need a way out, Jesus said He is the door. If you need food, Jesus said He is the bread of life. If you need water, Jesus is living water. If you need shelter, Jesus said He goes to prepare a place for you. If you need healing, Jesus paid the price so that by His stripes you can be healed. If you need led out of the darkness, Jesus said He is the light. If your load is too heavy, Jesus said cast all your cares upon Him. If you’re feeling exhausted, Jesus said He will give you rest. If you feel like you’re being held captive, Jesus came to set you free. If you’re feeling lost, Jesus says “follow Me”. If you’re feeling anxious, Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you.” If you have a fear of being abandoned, Jesus said He will be with you always, even to the end of the age. If you feel like you don’t belong anywhere, Jesus said “abide in Me and I will abide in you.” If you’re battling depression, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” If you feel alone, Jesus said “I have called you friend.” If you feel unworthy, Jesus says, “you did not choose Me, but I chose you.” If your life seems unstable, Jesus is the Rock you can build your house on. If you’re dealing with sadness, Jesus is the one who will turn your sorrow into joy. If you feel overwhelmed, Jesus said He has overcome the world. If you feel weak, Jesus said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. If you feel like you’re drowning, guess what- Jesus can walk on water! What else do you need? There is no problem He cannot solve. No depth of despair He cannot reach into. He’s the earth shaking, thunder making, chain breaking, sea splitting, curtain tearing Lamb of God! Hallelujah to the King! Thank You Jesus for coming for us!!!

Thank you for standing with us through another year of ministry. God bless you and your families this Christmas with His glorious presence and peace.

“Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” II John 1:3. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” III John 1:2. What a beautiful greeting. The Bible amazes me over and over again. He speaks what He wants for us; grace, mercy, peace, truth, love. And if that weren’t enough, He also wants us to prosper in all things, in health and even in our soul. When our soul is good, it’s all good. Our bodies don’t always cooperate with scripture and don’t realize that they’re healed and made whole by the blood of the Lamb. But when your soul prospers in the knowledge that you are spirit led and spirit fed, you rise above what your body is feeling. It all changes because of Who He is that lives inside of you. His energy is eternal, His strength is eternal, His Word is everlasting, He calls us to stand, put your eyes on Him and all else fades in comparison. There is no other Book that has had so many sermons spoken from it and yet it is still fresh, many of its mysteries still unsolved. Think of how many scholars, even before Jesus time, poured over it, and yet still missed it when the prophecies were fulfilled in their sight. There is no other book like it that has been read by so many, talked about for thousands of years, by thousands of people and yet we can still receive a new word from it. The God who put together such a unique piece of literature, a Word that is as powerful today as when He first spoke it, can certainly see you through anything that is before you. Sunday when I was listening to my pastor speak, I thought how does he always come up with new insight into the Word, and that was when I started thinking about how amazing it really is. There is no other book we could read or would want to read over and over again, that could be so intriguing that even scientists and the brightest intellectuals cannot solve its prophecies. They can make a phone that can record your life, do your banking, connect you with anyone anywhere face to face, give you a roadmap across the country, but they cannot decipher the Word of God. They have completely missed that His desire for relationship with us is simply so we can have grace, mercy, peace, truth & love.

At the Madison Women’s Prison He gave me a unique outpouring of all the above. A girl came up to me during the worship at the beginning of our first service and asked if I remembered her. I didn’t recognize her. She said “I’m Penny King.” I was totally stunned. She simply hugged me and walked off. More than 20 years ago her and I were at the Indiana Women’s Prison together. My bunkie’s name was Bonnie, in her 40’s. I was in my 20’s. Bonnie had a girlfriend on the street named Tammy who mailed her a really nice denim jacket. Within a couple weeks of Bonnie receiving it, Tammy hung herself. I was called from work to be in the counselors office with Bonnie when they gave her the news. It was heartbreaking. Penny was getting ready to leave for work release and she had asked Bonnie a few different times to sell her the jacket. Penny was well off and didn’t take no for an answer. But obviously because of the deep sentimental value, Bonnie wasn’t selling, no matter how much Penny offered her. When someone is leaving for work release their property gets packed up a couple days before they leave and sent out, other than what they need for the next few days. When Penny’s property got packed up the jacket disappeared. Bonnie was devastated but there was no way to prove where the jacket went. Penny had beautiful hair down to her waist. She was saying she really wanted it trimmed before she left. I volunteered. We went into the Dayroom. Bonnie was playing cards with some friends and looked at me questioningly as she seen me & Penny walking towards a table, me with scissors in hand. As Penny sat down, without a word, I simply lifted a large hunk of her hair up towards the back of her head and cut it off. I did this two more times before she realized what was happening. She yelled, “What are you doing?!” I said, “What you asked me to, I’m trimming your hair.” She ran out the dayroom. It only seemed right to me that since Bonnie lost something she loved, Penny should also lose something too. The next day her hair was cut off to her neck, it was the only way it could be straightened out. That afternoon she left for work release. I had not seen her since.

In June of this year I had a dream I was at this Madison Women’s Prison, speaking on healing, so I said okay Lord, that’s what we’re supposed to do. I felt strongly that it was to be emotional healing. So here I was about to open the session, and someone whom I had so greatly hurt was in the audience and it had never been made right. As I opened I asked where Penny was, she raised her hand, I said, “I’m so sorry.” And I began crying. She came up and hugged me and went and sat back down. I said, “I’m unworthy to be up here because of how cruel I was to her years ago.” I don’t remember all my words after that. But I told them about our God who is greater than any of our failures. I didn’t give them the story because it wouldn’t have been fair to her. At the end she came up to me and told me how this had to be God. She said she’s in a program at the prison and the step she is currently working on is forgiving people who’ve hurt her. She said she loved me and hugged me. I thanked her and told her I loved her too. Grace, mercy, peace, truth, & love. How wonderful is our God. He healed both of us in one swoop.

Over 180 women came for the evening session and more than half of them came up for individual prayer. He is a God of restoration. I had a dream a few nights ago that we were going into a men’s prison, and God told me that the “overflow from the prisons has to be taken out to the churches.” So Father God, we agree right now that a spirit of repentance will be released upon the churches of America, that people will become hungry for Your Presence, that they will seek the God of restoration and find in You grace, mercy, peace, truth, & love. We will touch and agree that our God is big enough to stir up His children, to call back to Himself those who are called by His Name to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to open the prisons for those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year to the Lord, to comfort all those who mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that You may be glorified! Because when You bring back the captive ones of Zion, we will be like those who dreamed, our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with singing! Then the nations will say, “The Lord has done great things for them”, The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad! Those who sow in tears will reap in joy! We thank You for Your Word God, that we may proclaim its promises, In Jesus Name, Amen. (Isaiah 61 & Psalm 126)

That right there is why we love His Word! We can pray it, stand on it, dwell in it, believe on it, hope in it, hide in it, use it as a shield and a banner, it covers everything!

Now to get down to business; The COPE conference in Daytona for September was canceled, much to my delight. I know that one day I’ll be leaving here but hopefully not as a statistic of someone who was trying to defy the odds of a hurricane. I’m actually writing this a few weeks early as I’ll be in Alabama when this is being mailed to you, at the four mens prisons we’ll be going into with the We Care Prison Ministry team. So I’ll have to tell you all about that in next month’s letter. Be blessed in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Name that is above every name, “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.” Eph 3:20-21

In light of what’s happened in Texas and Louisiana, it only seems right that we should begin this by praying for our brothers and sisters. Father God, we come to you united in spirit and ask that Your hand of mercy would be upon those who’ve been devastated by this tragedy. Please strengthen the hands of our Christian brothers and sisters as they’ve been displaced and are living day to day amongst nonbelievers in very trying situations. We ask that You give them supernatural peace amidst the confusion. Give them wisdom as they go through the emotions of their own material loses and are surrounded by multitudes of others who are struggling with loss. We thank You that You will continue to water them from within for divine encounters as Your Holy Spirit releases rivers of Living Water from out of their bellies to give hope to those around them. We thank You that Your hand is not short and it is mighty to save. Please keep them safe from any further harm such as sickness or criminal behavior. Let Your children stand out as lighthouses in the midst of the storm so that people will be drawn to them for prayer and salvation. Thank You Jesus for Your words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) Please Jesus, walk among them releasing this anointing upon Your children that You may be glorified, that the brokenhearted with be comforted, those who’ve been enslaved will be set free, and eyes will be opened as the oppressed with find relief. We thank You for a spirit of revival amongst them and miraculous healings to be released. We thank You for the materializing of supernatural provision, for food and water to be multiplied. We thank You that You are King, Commander in Chief, above every name, the One who comes to rescue when all looks lost. Let their peace and rest be in You, blessed Savior. In Your precious Name Jesus we pray, Amen.

It seems trivial to talk about our own news when others are going through such devastation. Even besides this, we could all give stories from this very moment of suffering in our own lives, tragedy in families we know, people going through overwhelming situations. It can easily become all consuming. We have to look up. We have to turn to God. We have to read His Word. It’s the hope that keeps us afloat. He is good. His Word is true. We are to be in this world but not of it. The darkness cannot overtake us. Greater is He in us than He that is in the world. Say it over and over; Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world. No matter what anyone says to you about their life, turn them to God. He is their answer. We cannot fix anyone. We can’t fix the sorrows of the world. The Holy Spirit can. He is the Comforter. His plan is still good. His love is still good. His judgement is still righteous. He is good. He is good. Excuse me for repeating myself but… He is good. Those simple words turn us back to the truth, He is good. Rest in that. Roll yourself in it like a burrito. He is good.

September is going to be a little busy. On the 9th, we’re going in the Madison Women’s prison here in Indiana and doing an all day seminar on healing. Emotional healing is so important for Christian growth. Forgiveness is key. I believe that’s the antidote for many illnesses that affect the brain. I was diagnosed as bipolar and manic depressive, while in prison. They tried all kinds of antidepressants on me. It only got worse after prison. But the healing came with Jesus. The more I trusted Him, the more I forgave myself and others, the quicker I dropped new offenses, (we’re always being offended), the better my brain got. Today I am totally medication free. There are days I might start off feeling a little down, nothing like the overwhelming darkness that used to keep me from getting out of bed, but once I start praising Him, (do it whether you feel like it or not), the darkness has to flee & it does! The next week is the COPE conference in Daytona, Florida. That’s the Coalition of Prison Ministry Conference. If you’re interested in prison ministry, look them up, www.copeconnections.org, or call their secretary, Chandra 254-214-4685. During the last week of September, I’ll be joining the We Care Prison Ministry in Alabama for a week of going in with the Mennonites as they spend all day in different prisons, making homemade donuts for every inmate. I’m honored to be invited to this not only to be a part of the ministry but to hopefully get my hands on one of those donuts! I believe it’s biblical, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain.” I Timothy 5:18, I’m pretty sure that interprets as; I get to eat a donut while working.

Dad ministered to the men from Chain of Lakes prison this past Friday, brought bananas down to the homeless on Saturday and preached to them in the park Sunday morning. He talked about the prodigal son. He gave a beautiful description of the Father running to meet the son returning home. I’m so grateful for a earthly father who loves the Word, believes it, lives it, and does all that he can to reunite the lost with their heavenly Father.

How has your summer been so far? This month has been so busy! Just as I sat down to write this, I thought “how long has it been since the last newsletter?” It seems like it’s been a whole season!

As I was reading the other day, I started writing down scriptures that the Lord was bringing to my attention and I had the feeling God wants you to be encouraged. I don’t know about you, but a lot of members in our church and others I know have been going through a lot lately. Don’t give up Saints! We press on because He is our Living Hope! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” His power keeps us, upholds us, protects us, and strengthens us. We rely on His power. You never have to worry about if your own strength is failing. That’s why He says “Come to Me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. If your load is too heavy, it’s because you’re not supposed to be carrying it, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7).

I Peter 1:6-7 goes on to say, “In this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” How genuine is our faith when it’s easily shaken? We either believe that He is God or He isn’t. We believe all of His Word or none of it. He is Who He says He is, or He’s not. My vote is – Let’s Believe God! That belief is so precious to Him. God can create anything He chooses for His pleasure. The one thing that is more valuable to Him than anything He possesses is our belief that He is God.

What have we got to lose? We can be miserable with no hope or we can be miserable with hope, (choose hope!). When you grasp Who He really is and what the whole picture is all about, your misery begins to fade away, even when your circumstance doesn’t change. I found this scripture in Psalm 127:2, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.” How great is our God! Doesn’t that make you want to sing a little bit? He’s saying it’s a waste of time to lay awake at night worrying and eating the bread of sorrows. Wouldn’t you rather be eating sweet bread ? “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8. “More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold, sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:10. The Word of God fills your mouth and your spirit with sweetness. He lifts you above sorrow. Because you are His beloved He gives you sleep. He wants you to rest in Him.

So what do you do in the long hours? You go to Psalms and read them out loud. “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.” Psalm 130:1. Keep going… “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, Yes more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6. Sometimes we need to express to God how deep our anguish is and verbalize that no matter what, we are going to keep waiting and watching for Him. It’s not in vain. He is coming for you! Read Psalm 18, all of it. I’ve read it out loud a few times this week. Yesterday I couldn’t hardly walk when I got up, but life doesn’t stop because of pain. I started reading Psalm 18 “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” And that’s just the first 4 verses! I realized it wasn’t a human enemy I was up against but a spiritual attack against my health. As you read the rest of that Psalm, you’ll see how God came and defeated the enemy when David was being attacked. The mental picture is ferocious. God doesn’t fool around! Some of the passages are “For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.” “For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength,” “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.” If that doesn’t fire you up, take your pulse, because as my dad would say, “you might’ve already checked out.” By the time I got through, I got out of the chair, straightened up and headed off to church to help prepare food for 200 people. Not by my strength, but by His, & Hallelujah, my back did great! It works! His Word is more powerful than a double-edged sword and the enemy cannot withstand against it. Before I run out of room, I guess I should tell you what’s going on with the ministry but it’s hard to focus once I start speaking on the greatness of God. Which is better- His Word or mine? You’re absolutely right – His!!!

Our schedule changed a little bit this month. Dad actually preached at Friemann Square to the homeless the last Sunday in June and has made it there almost every Sunday this month, as well as going to the parking lot where we feed the homeless on Saturday morning. He is an amazing man of God. I’m so proud to be his daughter. If determination were gunpowder, he’d do quite a bit of damage! You certainly can’t keep that good man down.

On July 15th I was at the Roederer Correctional Facility where we fed hamburgers off the grill to 1200 men. It was quite a day. Every hour they sent 150-200 men to the yard. While we gave them their plates, there were musicians and speakers giving the Word. At the end of every hour, it was such a blessing to see all the hands that repeatedly went up to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. By the time I made the 4-hour drive home that night, every part of my body hurt. But I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing I’d rather be wore out for than the gospel of Christ.

On July 22nd, by a chain of events that only the Lord could orchestrate I ended up at the Madison Juvenile Facility for girls. It was both a blessing and heartbreaking. Heartbreaking because we see with our human eyes and hear with our ears the abuse and trauma these young girls have been through. A blessing because we see the hand of God reaching for them, restoring them, refreshing their young spirits, and embracing them as only He can.

On July 29th, I was supposed to be in a men’s prison in Lagrange, Ky. Unfortunately the chaplain there is against a lot of opposition and they shut down the event. Pray for the chaplains in the prisons. Because of “political correctness” they are not allowed to preach or speak against homosexuality or same sex couples coming into the chapel to spend time with one another. The chaplain also has to allow Muslims, Hindu’s, Indians, and Wiccans (which is witchcraft) to hold services in the same chapel that the Christian men worship God in.

We so appreciate those of you who have been faithful to support this ministry. If you’ve wondered what your donation dollars are spent on; our expenses include gas, paper supplies and certificates to take into the inmates,(for the last women’s prison we went in, I had to have more than 600 pages printed for Bible study handout sheets and the certificates for completing our seminar), snacks for the prisons which allow us to bring them in and depending on the number of inmates also costs hundreds of dollars for one weekend. For instance for the women’s prison we needed 600 candy bars. But at the end of the service when all our volunteers were lined up in front of the stage and lines of women were standing there to be prayed for, tears everywhere as they were encountering the living God, how do you put a price on that?

The snacks and certificates are the bait that brings them to the service. We have had inmates tell us repeatedly over the years that they only came because they knew our ministry brings snacks, but that they got much more than what they came for. The reason we give certificates is that when inmates are locked up they are judged on performance by how many certificates they complete while incarcerated. This helps them show the judge or their parole officer that they are serious about their rehabilitation. There are a number of things they can get certificates for; substance abuse classes, educational classes, vocational training, parenting or anger management classes, and religious services like ours.

We also need money for feeding the homeless and for motels when we’re traveling. There are some prisons where we know people in the area and it’s always a blessing when a volunteer takes us into their homes. We try to travel as economically as possible. One time dad and I had been driving for more than 12 hours and we finally stopped at a Days Inn. When we got to the double room we shared, there were big holes in the curtains and you didn’t dare walk across the floor barefoot. I was so exhausted, I crawled into bed and told dad, “if you hear gunshots, wake me and we’ll go somewhere else”, and off to sleep I went. We pack snacks and sandwiches and try to be the best stewards we can possibly be. We do what we can with what we’ve got, and truly depend on God for all. This was probably more information than you felt like reading right now, I just felt like we should give you a description of what we actually do and let you know why your support is so valuable to us. You are investing in the kingdom and making a difference in the lives of hundreds of inmates. I know we literally encountered a few thousand inmates last year and it will be same this year, but don’t want to sound like I have the big head. 🙂

Thank you for getting through the longest newsletter ever! Remember “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” I John 1:5 When your situation seems overwhelmingly dark, bring God into it. When He shows up the darkness has to flee!

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord! From this time forth and forever more! From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised. (Psalms 113:1-3). Wouldn’t it be great if we just spoke to each other in Psalms! Have you noticed when a preacher is speaking and he starts speaking scripture, even though he hasn’t said where the chapter and verse is, your spirit stirs within you, because you recognize it as scripture? Psalm 42:7 says “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls.” If you read that Psalm the writer was deeply distressed, he was desperately thirsty for a word from God. The Bible is a waterfall of God’s words, that pours out continually, that never runs dry. And just like a waterfall it’s always fresh. It quenches the dry places. It replenishes our soul. Something deep within us stirs when we get near it as we long for the water that only comes from the deep places of God. As you draw near to Him, as you go deeper, you’ll find the sweeter the water is. There’s life in His Word. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hands are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also.” (Psalm 95:1-4). Doesn’t that hit you like a shot of vitamin B12? His Word should energize us, it’s our bread of life and living water. Don’t just read it but swim in it. Splash it all over yourself and everything around you. Have you ever been in a catholic service? We were raised catholic. I remember for some reason the priests walked down the aisle and sprinkled “holy water” towards us, and also there was an incense holder that someone else was swinging back and forth, filling the air with fragrance. That’s what we should do with the Word. Sprinkle it all over your house. Swing it back and forth so its fragrance fills the air.

One thing that didn’t get put in either the May or June schedule was a prison that Patty and I went to in Atmore, Alabama, May 31-June 2. The reason I didn’t put it in either newsletter is that we did not know we were going until right after I wrote the June Newsletter at the end of May. Patty and I had given up on the idea of going because the warden wouldn’t clear us to go in this men’s prison. We’ve been in plenty of men’s prisons, but each one is different as to who they will or won’t let in and why. Never have we been cleared to go in a prison only 4 days before the event. So this was clearly the hand of God that got us in. We did dad’s seminar as dad is still unable to travel, which in itself is always a little bit intimidating to me. A lot of prisons we go into are just 1-day events, with a lot of different volunteers and everyone gives testimonies, singing between the testimonies and we move around the yard and pray with the men. With dad’s seminar it’s 2 to 3 days, with each session being 2 to 3 hours, and it’s teaching material to help them think about how they’re going to spiritually make it when they get out. It’s hard to fill your dad’s shoes. When it came to trying to figure out what I’d say each day to fill the allotted time we had with the men, I kept drawing a blank. Dad makes it look so easy. The difference between me and dad is very similar to Andy Griffith and Barney. God is so merciful, He gave me the key to success. Worship! Each morning I put on worship music, emptied my head of all thoughts, and spent 30-45 minutes telling God how wonderful He is. The sessions went great. It all came down to lining my heart up with my heavenly Father. I can’t even being to make an outline of what was said to prepare for another seminar, all I know is that God is faithful. He says He will never leave nor forsake us, and He meant it. When your goal is to glorify His name, you’ll be surprised at what comes out of your mouth and how long you can talk about Him.

This past weekend we were at the Madison Women’s Prison. There were 11 volunteers and myself that went in. We did a 2-day seminar on the Armor of God. Six of us all took a different part of the armor and spoke on it. We opened up with worship, gave the women candy bars, had the teaching, and ended the seminar with more worship and individual prayer with the women. The prayer is my favorite part. People need to know that God cares about their individual needs. It’s so sweet to see them receive the Father’s love as the tears roll down their faces and they realize He is a very personal God. We also had a special guest from Rwanda who shared what it was like to be a survivor of the Rwanda genocide that occurred in the mid 1990’s. It was very powerful. She spoke of how devastated the country was in the aftermath. And how hardened the people were afterward to believe that a loving God could possibly exist. They asked where was He when their families were being brutally murdered? It took a lot of years for the missionaries to love this people back to the realization that God is a good God. In the time since, God has done a great work of restoration among that people. When evil seems to be winning we have to remember that evil has never been God’s will. What looks impossible for restoration to us, is totally possible for God. His options never run out. His Power is never outnumbered. When you’re in a situation of trying to minister to someone and you think they’ll never turn to God, try anyway. Our responsibility is to share the word. It’s His responsibility to do the rest.

A young couple in my church that has overcome meth and heroin addiction, (who is also now doing ministry with us, thank You Jesus!) recently moved into their own trailer. The previous owner left a king-sized bed frame in the shed. Since they didn’t have a bed frame for their queen-sized mattress set, (and since the king-sized one was so fancy) they put it up in their bedroom and put slats on it to hold up their too small mattress. Two weeks ago they were given a king-sized mattress and box spring set. One day it occurred to me that God gives “king-sized” gifts. That same day I was getting my supplies together for the Madison Women’s Prison and pulled the boxes of candy bars out of my closet that were donated for the women. The candy bars were in smaller boxes inside of a big box so I had to open them and transfer them to a cooler to keep them from melting on the trip. Imagine my delight when I opened the smaller boxes only to discover that all the candy bars were king-sized! He is a good God and a great Father!

Please continue to pray for my parents as dad is still struggling with his health and this makes mom a full-time caretaker. Thank you for all the years you’ve stood beside them and lifted them and their needs up to the Father. Also thank you for your continued support of this ministry. As long as the Lord permits, there’s nothing else we’d rather do than to take His gospel into the prisons for the glory of His Name.

This morning I was reflecting on something unique God had just done for two friends of mine. They’ve recently moved into their own trailer, which is quite an accomplishment from where they were 2 years ago when they were lost in their addiction. Jesus has totally changed their lives. A king-sized bed frame had been left in this trailer by the previous owner so they put wooden slats across the frame and laid their queen size mattress and box springs on it. Last week someone called a woman in my church who is a friend of theirs and said she had a king-sized mattress and box springs if anyone needed it. A few days later this couple was moving it into their home. As I was thinking this morning how great God is it dawned on me that He gives King-sized gifts! A few hours later I was pulling a case of candy bars out of my ministry closet that we’re going to be taking into the Madison Women’s Prison this weekend. I hadn’t actually opened the boxes and looked at the candy bars and thought maybe I should so I’d know exactly what we had. To my delight the candy bars are King-sized!

Blessed be the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! How great it is to be a child of the living God! We have a Name we can call on no matter what our situation, no matter what our trial, no matter what our physical circumstances; Who will deliver us, comfort us, heal us, provide for us, and see us through to the Glory of His Name. His Word says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” And in I Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you.” Isn’t it wonderful to serve the One True God, who says we can give Him all our burdens and He will give us rest.

Dad has been having some severe health challenges. It’s easy to listen to the doctor’s report and to feel distressed. But we are not a people who have to sink into hopelessness, because we serve the Living Hope. Hebrews 6:19, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil…” Dad can tell you all about anchors. If it’s not heavy enough, or not attached securely to the boat it’s worthless. But the anchor we have is “sure and steadfast”. The Word of God is immovable. If He said it, we can stand on it, hold fast to it, and know that He will accomplish what He has purposed to accomplish. Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth, it shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” What does His Word say for a situation that looks overwhelming? Psalm 3:2-5, “Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.” No matter what the report is we have a God who hears our cry and who will sustain us. Who cares if someone tells you your situation can’t change – they obviously haven’t met Jehovah Jireh, your provider, or El Shaddai, God Almighty. Maybe they should have an encounter with El Olam, the Everlasting God, who is Elohim, the One who created the heavens and the earth, what is impossible for Him? As Jehovah Shalom there is no situation He cannot bring peace into. Joshua found out firsthand that when you’re going into battle, even before you get there, the Lord has a plan. Joshua 5:13-15, “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or forour enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’ The commander of the LORD’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” There is an army of the Lord that can be dispatched at the Word of the Lord. Hallelujah! Romans 8:31,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Will He fail us? Romans 5:5, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given for us.” Psalm 33:9, “For He spoke and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast.” Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.” Luke 1:37, “For with God, nothing will be impossible.” Isaiah 40:28, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.”

Don’t you love His Word! I could just fill this whole newsletter up with His Word and wouldn’t have to worry about explaining a single thing because God is big enough to speak for Himself! His Word is true, all of it. If you’re going through a struggle, seek Him. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” He is big enough, tall enough and strong enough to carry your burden.

On May 19th, I had the privilege of going into the Dayton Ohio Women’s Prison with an organization called “Christmas Behind Bars”. They take in hygiene items and a nice sized bag of snacks for every inmate. We had a full house, at least 450 or better for each of the two services, well over 900 women in total. Even though some may say, “they only came for the snacks”, dad has always told me that’s just the bait. What they get in the Word of God is much more than they bargained for. As we just seen from Isaiah 55:11, His Word will accomplish what He has set it out to do. Many of them were touched and encouraged as they realized there is a God who will neither fail nor forsake them. We have this Hope!

Be full of the Living God, be immersed in the Living Water that gives life to your soul! Stir up the spirit within yourself by praising His Name & giving glory to the King who is “eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God”, (I Tim 1:17), who is our Savior, unto Him “be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen”, (Jude 1:25) I love His Word!!!! Be blessed brothers and sisters, rejoice in the hope and glory of our King!